Chicago Tribune writes about 2020 Chicago Artadia Awardees in Uptown, Garfield Park artists Eliza Myrie and Caroline Kent win $10k from national arts nonprofit Artadia.
“There was a lot of fear of the unknown, given the economy, the virus, protecting family … it was real fear vs. psychological fears that you’re up against in the studio,” Kent said. “I just started focusing. What was important to me was that (my children) kept seeing me make and they kept seeing me push through, even though there were days of boredom for them or there were conversations around sickness. It’s more poignant than ever for me to do what I do as a painter, to show up and to represent at this moment. I am trying to go forth in a moment of faith and believing that what I do is going to matter in the future, whether that’s just for my family as legacy or in a larger cultural context.” – Caroline Kent
“Just being in communion with other artists during this time could mean saying: ‘Yo, this sucks’ and sometimes it means: ‘Let’s dialogue about what’s going on in your studio with a virtual studio visit,‘” Myrie said. “I’ve needed to reimagine something as a digital object or figure out how it can live, not as a physical thing in space, which is very difficult for a sculptor. But, as much as things can adapt, they’ve adapted. We’re trying to do what we can do.” – Eliza Myrie